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The Atsadi
The Atsadi are an advanced, yet quite young alien race which break almost all preconceived human rules on what's necessary for intelligent life, let alone humanoid life. Then again, it turns out this is quite normal in the galaxy and humans should really get over it. Biology : Atsadi biology and physiology is evoution's answer to "how different can it be, really?" They are most similar to Earth's Siphonophorae; however such a statement is just as valid as saying humans are similar to Earth's Prairie Dog. Which may be true if the prairie dog featured a cellular physiology that fits in neither organic biology or synthetic nanomachinery and could in theory live nearly indefinitely. Appearance : There is no exact means of describing an Atsadi in its native form, with every individual expressing an appearance as unique as fingerprints among humans. This is exceptionally true around the head, with different shapes and head-body ratios being quite normal as well as tendrils and appendages of every sort of imaginable form. Actually seeing these forms is rare for other races, with the Atsadi having evolved to mimic, especially in with their heads, those they come in contact with to reflect a more familiar and safe appearance to other organisms, likely to facilitate their unique feeding needs. Individual Atsadi are relatively humanoid in form, featuring a feminine body and the nearly ubiquitous two arms and two legs pattern; their arms tend to have more of their mass concentrated towards the lower forearm while their legs are mildly digitgrade and built stronger than required for their light frames. : It's the Atsadi's aqueous tissues which define their appearance and has made them the muse of innumerable artists describing their beauty even among the commonly aloof Gjork. Rather than typical pigment cells producing melanin and other pigments, the tone of their subtly transluscent and form is controled by millions of microscopic crystaline structures suspended in their body which scatter light within certain bandwiths to produce vivid blues, reds, and yellows much like butterfly wings. Though largely of a single colour, it's not unusual for an Atsadi to feature varied tones and splashes throughout their body and for them to change over time, this is especially true in the layer of their outer membranes which contains their bioluminescence, resulting in the spectacular displays which reflect their emotions and carry large quantities of information in Atsadi languages. Zoa : Atsadi biology revolves around microscopic cellular unions which share both synthetic and organic structural traits, along with some outside of known processes. These structures known as zooids, while analogous to cells in most life as humans know it, are far more similar to the individual zooids of colonial organisms such as the Portuguese Man o' War. Their unique physiology makes them an enigma medically to other races, whom often can do very little to treat them even if they wish to. Structural consistency : Atsadi lack bones altogether and possess few specialized organs of exceptional density, resulting in their body being extremely pliable and soft, earning them the nicknames "jellies" or "squishies" among humans. Lacking bones to attach any muscles to, their anatomy functions via pressurizing and depressurizing specialized podules that exist throughout their body. The boon of this is they lack bones to break and can bend their joints in any direction they desire, albeit with less strength than their primary orientation. : Atsadi do not possess an enclosed circulatory system or blood, instead relying on diffusion through a gelatinous aqueous solution which also serves as their structural support. While not capable of bleeding out in the same fashion as other races which results in oxygen deprivation, they can be killed if a sufficient enough quantity of their aqueous solution is lost that they cannot diffuse nutrients to their zooids, which procede to starve and die across a few days. : Their external structural integrity is maintained by several layers of cutaneous membranes, the outer most of which gives the greatest amount of strength, while the inner ones support it and retain their fluids. While they may not be as imposing as other races, Atsadi are certainly tougher than they appear and are excellent fighters when needed. Sensory systems : While commonly asthetically similar to Turavids and thus humans, the true nature of Tawa sensory organs is less straight-forward. Visual :: Tawa eyes are unique in their own species' physiology for their degree of centralized complexity. Their two ovoid, forward-oriented eyes feature an iris which has evolved to exist behind the primary lense of the eye and functions much like a second adjustable lense. Together, their two lenses allow for exceptional focus and even a degree zoom, paramount to a race which evolved to spot minute shifts in sand for prey on their homeworld and colour-tone shifts in their languages. :: The overall apperance of the eye is the result of their lacking a sclera, leading to an opalescent exposed retina which has to be protected by controlling the apperture of the eyelid. While less obvious, it's easy enough to see what one is looking at, due to an increased reflectivity in the area of their eye's focus and a reproduction of the image they're viewing across the cornea-analogue. Auditory :: True to form, Atsadi auditory senses lack centralized sensory structures. Any ears they take on in mimicking another race are purely asthetic and feature no great importance in detecting sound. Instead, the entire Atsadi body functions as a receiver for soundwaves, with minute vibrations being detected in their internal humor. Echolocation ::: Related to this is their echolocative ability, focused primarily to pea-sized structures throughout their body which can give off a humming sound, though capable of disconserting shriek-like projections. When the echoes of this are picked up, the Atsadi's structures then compound their many interpretations of the sound and produce a three dimensional image of their surroundings. While limited for any sort of long-range detection, this has exceptional use in locating creatures and objects hidden beneath sand and can even produce information about the vital signs of organisms. ::: Turavids can hear the humming, though it's very quiet to them, Gjork and Humans are vaguely aware of there being some sound, but are unable to truly hear or identify it. Humans uniquely can detect them through touch much more effectively than either the Turavids and Gjork, comparing it to a cat's purr. Olfactory and Gustatory : Relatively little difference can be made between the Tawa senses of taste and smell. While separate in humans, it's a single process across handled by identical micro-structures on the surface of the Tawa's skin, with extreme concentrations along the tongue. Despite this, they're never seen using their tongue like a snake's for scent-finding purposes. Whether this is due to some cultural reason or it simply not being an instinct is unknown. Feeding : Atsadi do possess "teeth"; however these are roughly as tough as human gums and are thought to exist purely for asthetics or as vestigial traits. They instead feed through their lengthy and thin forked tongue, which ends in needle-like microscopic structures. These hypodermic-like structures are largely painless when used to puncture skin and are then used to draw up blood from the organism. This entire process being aided by the Atsadi's body fluids including saliva, which contain mild tranquilizing and hallucigenic compounds. : It's not clear if this form of feeding was an adaption to lacking the large and biologically expensive digestive tracts of other animals or their desert environment requiring a more water-rich foodsource. However it's common among a number of organisms in their biological order, implying this trait evolved quite some time ago in their evolutionary history. Communication : Atsadi communication features equal parts light from their bioluminescent structures and sound. While it is possible to speak with several in their languages without being bioluminescent, one would likely come across as a four year-old with a limited vocabulary and poor handle of grammar. Because of this, they've spearheaded many of the efforts to create common languages between species, including New Common, a variant of the Turavid empire's Upper Common adapted for use by most of the galaxy's vocally communicating races. New Common has quickly displaced Upper Common and many colonial languages to become the most commonly spoken language behind the Gjork Dominion's Lower Common, another adaption of Turavid language. Reproduction and sexes : Atsadi, unlike the other races do not possess two sexes. Containing only a female-analogue, which while in theory have no gender, are often referred to using female pronouns. While male-female dichotomies do exist in several species in their biological family, their particular genus lost this trait early in its history due to a disappearance of a Y chromosome analogue from their genetic code. This ancestory places them in a strange place, while completely unnecessary they retain several vestigial traits of sexual reproduction not dissimilar to female Human or Turavid anatomy. : Reproduction centers around contact with other Atsadi or any species which feature similar patterns of Oxytocin fluctuation. Often associated with love, their reproduction is controlled via an Oxytocin-based process known as Clouding. Clouding :: Not reaching sexual maturity until around age twenty-four, Atsadi will begin engaging in affectional bonds long before that age and typically carry their sexuality far more casually than other races because of it. These bonds, following sexual maturity most commonly feature two individuals but easily contain over a dozen at times and focus around the exchange of hormones. These hormones eventually trigger a process in the Atsadi known as clouding, where the individual's normal semi-transluscent form becomes clouded with floating genetic material from their many zooids mingling. This process typically occurs over 72 hours and eventually settles into a zygote and then a fetus in the abdomen. Following a seven month pregnancy, the Atsadi will deliver an infant known as a Sadi, literally the Atsadi common word for "one" weighing five to six kilogrammes which immediately begins mimicking the mother or caregiver's appearance. Genetic variance and fatherhood :: Due to there being no exchange of genetic information, Atsadi possess no "father", with every member of the bonded group acting as another mother. Due to this, genetic lineage also has very little impact on Atsadi cultures. Genetic variance is maintained not by mating interactions of external individuals, but by the numerous zooids internally exchanging their genetic information in an incalculable number of configurations. Birth spacing and solo reproduction :: All Atsadi bond-pairs or groups regulate the reproduction rate of individual Atsadi via hormones, ensuring no two births are too close together. Strangely for an asexual species, Atsadi cannot reproduce without at least one partner. :: Atsadi in bond-pairs or groups outside their species lack a natural means to birth spacing aside from environmental factors such as prolonged stress or poor nutrition. Often relying on artificial means when necessary. This is relatively rare however, given that they can only begin reproducing around age 24, with each birth featuring a twenty-year postpartum period before they can reproduce again. Aging : Atsadi aging is difficult to find analogues with in human biology. Consisting of many short-lived zooids further boosted by their synthetic traits, the Atsadi itself can live for millenia, vulnerable only to disease and physical harm. The oldest Atsadi at the time of Rose World, Yuen, resides on their homeworld of Lutea at the venerable age of 2560 and having mothered 84 children, clearly remembers when iron tools were "just a fad" for her race. : Atsadi do indeed age, born as sadi much smaller and less developed than their adult forms, they grow and differentiate their zooids most fervently until reaching sexual maturity around age 24. Following this, they'll continue to subtly change their features and develop until age 38 when they're considered full adults and cease genetically pre-programmed development. They continue to make minor changes throughout their lifespan to adapt to their environment, but these are no longer considered "aging". Culture : The Atsadi are a distinguished and vibrant culture, with thousands of years of continuety impossible without their stable society. While other contemporary space-cultures have either fallen to the brink of extinction or become increasingly homogenized warmachines, the Atsadi continue to blaze trails in visual arts, music, and literature. Competition : The Atsadi are unique in that they typically lack the powerful instinct for competition common among other species, particularly Humans. Commonly attributed to their not needing to compete over mates and cooperation resulting in higher resource extraction on their barren world; the Atsadi benefit vastly from the cohesion and solidarity as a race evolved to work together. Atsadi do highly value self-reliance, independence, personal interests, and desires, but view them as most easily fulfilled through cooperation and more often than not, they fall into or become group goals. Because of this, many factors in other cultures in the galaxy lack analogues in the Atsadi. Politics : For the Atsadi culturally, politics are considered no different from any other cultural or occupational engagement. Instead of an us and them approach to who's in charge, they view every member of Atsadi society as a member of their governance with an equal role to play in assuring the freedom and providing for every other Atsadi. This concept is summarized in the Amu, one of the oldest Atsadi written works when it says: "Recognize yourself as the being that is the way of things, the now. Recognize that you are what happens to all of us." : The present system of government the Atsadi feature, known as a "De", literally "way of being" in the Atsadi common language of Latsadi and is presently the longest running extant social structure in the galaxy, stretching far back to the Atsadi's early bronze age. The full term for the Atsadi as a political unit is the Desatsadi or the Desadi, with the former being the more traditional name and the latter being the name for it following the inclusion of other races. :: For more information about Atsadi racial politics and the Desadi, go to the Atsadi politics page. : Along with their own government, the Atsadi are members of the Atsadi-Turavid alliance which also contains the Turavid exilarchy and several other minor races. Art : Atsadi personal expression is deep for what many would assume is a homogenous race. Major famous works in their culture include the Amu, one of the first written works which forms much of the foundation for their modern philosophies and Hiwata, a simple rendition of an Atsadi De relaxing during the heat of the day nicknamed by Humans "the Mona Lisa of space". Atsadi art, including their music, performances, and literature tends more towards subtle and simplistic abstraction than either true realism or abstractism. Their songs and performances more focused on tone than actual wording while literature is dominated by poetic pieces. Clothing :Atsadi clothing varies dramatically from place to place and from one situation to another. Inside their homes, they're much more likely to wear their versions of underwear than normal clothing. When outside their home they're likely to either wear armour if they're military or colonial personennel even if not on duty or direct danger. Casual or working clothing for them typically involves some sort of simple one-piece garment usually in the form of a dress or a jumpsuit, though they're known to frequently experiment with fashion from other races. Over which they'll frequently wear a cloak of some sort to protect their vulnerable tranluscent skin from the sun. Economy : The Atsadi, being cooperative and all part of a singular, if vast, family analogue, lack the market-driven economies seen in other races. Resources are managed according the De, which in turn dialogues with other Des to determine specializations and needs all the way up to the multi-race encompassing Desadi. While Atsadi do create some goods and possess a limited form a currency called the Ayo, these are mostly limited to cultural arts and crafts. : While largely beneficial for the Atsadi, some consider it negative for galactic affairs. Without the need to pay for anything, acquire outside goods and services, or generate intermarket dependencies, there is no economic incentive for other races such as the Gjork to collaborate with the Atsadi. This is compounded by the diplomatic effects of other races believing they're competing with a race possessing near-limitless military spending potential. Military : Though not the largest in the galaxy, they are certainly the most advanced and live by a doctrine that they don't need to be. They're notable not only for their professionalism and dedication to what they view as an art of war, but also their unitary cohesion and cooperation allowing complex plans to be executed flawlessly. Lacking the expenses of other races in creating their ships and outfitting their personnel, the Atsadi commonly deploy technologies too expensive for other races to bother with. ::: For more information on Atsadi ships and naval power, click on the Navunatsadi page link. ::: For more information on Atsadi infantry and military personnel, click on the Nyxatsadi page link History : A very young race in terms of evolution, the Atsadi organic precursors to the Atsadi evolved a mere 40.000 years ago, compared to Humans, which evolved to anatomical modernity around 200.000 and became behaviorally modern roughly 50.000 years ago. Though it's not clear when in their history or why the Atsadi were gifted with their unrecognizable physiology, they did experience a massive shift in behaviour roughly 20.000 years ago which it's commonly associated with. Homeworld : The Atsadi homeworld of Lutea is a beautiful place in the cosmos, if a dry one. With massive pre-Atsadi ruins hinting at its once being a major colonial planet for at least two separate galactic empires, likely the Qwib-Qwib and the Umma Yed littering the planets surface. This is complimented by the magnificent archology towers the Atsadi live in, each one a work of art. The rest of the surface consists of vast, unspoiled terrain which the Atsadi take pride in having made deep investments of their wealth repairing and keeping pristine. Its terrain featuring expansive deserts, with isolated praries and jungle-analogues surrounded by mountains and minor oceans. Much of the recovered pre-Atsadi records and geology of the planet implies that it was once a water-world a few hundred thousand years ago, exactly how this changed remains a mystery to even the Atsadi's top geologists. Early history and politics : Much of early Atsadi history is ambiguous, with long lifespans and the absense of agriculture and individual political reigns limiting the need for significant chronology. What is clear is that they formed their present political system very early in their history as a race and made one of the quickest technological advances in galactic history. Modern era : Around the end of the 19th century, when the Atsadi were still colonizing their own star system and creating local starbases, the Turavid Dissidents intervened in their history. Offering to help complete the last of their interstellar travel research in exchange for assistance with 'the great oppressors' which resulted in their joining the Turavid civil war on the side of the dissidents for a short time. Their brief cooperation was brought to an end over the course of a series of incidents and crises starting with the Toba incident, highlighted by the New Lutea colonial rights crisis, and ending in the Long Talks. : Formally ending their alliance with the dissidents in 1912 and withdrawing from the war, aside from deniable support for the Turavid loyalists. The Atsadi went to war once more following Nef'ludwan in 1939 on behalf of the independent Turavids when the Turavid civil war came to an end and the Gjork wars began. The Atsadi over time have been at the forefront of galactic affairs and have expanded to become one of the largest powers of the galaxy and the de facto leaders of the Atsadi-Turavid alliance of races. Life on Rosarius II Under construction